


Talk to Me

by psychotrashdump



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Ghost Zhu Zhengting, Idol Cai Xukun, M/M, This is a happy story, because life is sad enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25726099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotrashdump/pseuds/psychotrashdump
Summary: Cai Xukun moves into a new house and realizes it’s haunted. But the ghost is cute and endearingly awkward so he doesn’t really mind.
Relationships: Cai Xukun/Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

Xukun likes his new house. The property is cheap for it’s size and all his neighbors are retired old couples so it’s unlikely they’ll be familiar enough with mainstream idols to recognize him.

He likes the comfortably sized bedroom and the cozy living room. He doesn’t mind the small kitchen, he doesn’t do much cooking anyway. 

He likes the dark ebony floorboards of the room down the hall. The mirror room that has nothing but a piano Xukun doesn’t know how to play. He leaves it there anyway.

His furniture looks out of place in the quiet dignity of the weathered house. He apologizes out loud. He doesn’t put anything into the room with mirrors for walls. The piano reflected on all four mirrors takes up too much space already.

“You okay?”

Xukun stares blankly at the person in front of him, taking too long to recognize it as his friend Linong. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been staring at nothing for the past few minutes. We’ve already finished moving in all the furniture.”

Xukun came back to reality, taking in the sight of the newly furnished living room. His friends lounged on the couch, tired after doing all the heavy lifting.

“Yeah, thanks.” Xukun smiled, “Sorry I didn’t help much, guess I’m still trying to get used to this place.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine living here alone?” Linong asked, concerned, “A few of us could stay the night if you want.”

Xukun glanced over at his friends, seeing Zhangjing raise his hand like he was going to hit Xiao gui, who just laughed, knowing he would never actually go through with it.

He felt his uneasiness dissipate, his mouth curving into a slight smile. “I think I’ll be fine. You guys better visit though, once I get used to living without polluted air I’m never visiting you guys in the city again.”

Linong laughed, “We’ll see you at work anyway. I’ll leave now then,” he raised his voice, “Xiaogui, Ziyi! Wanna leave now? We have to get up early tomorrow.”

Xukun said goodbye to his friends, feeling a wave of exhaustion come over him once they all left. He really needed to sleep more.  He made his way slowly up the stairs, listening to the quiet of the house. It was almost like the house was alive. Xukun couldn’t decide whether it was disquieting or comforting.

He lay down in bed and felt his body go slack. As his consciousness slipped away he heard a soft melody float in through the window. A song too sad to be a lullaby playing as he gave in to sleep.

~

Xukun woke up to the feeling of tears drying on his cheeks. The room was pitch black. It was 2 am. The music continued to play. 

He sat up in bed, straining his ears until he realized the music sounded like a person singing. Faint tones and inflections that spoke to the existence of words that carried the tune. 

He got out of bed, reaching the bottom of the staircase when he noticed that the singing somehow sounded louder. An echoing sound reverberating through the house, still barely louder than a hum.

Xukun wasn’t sure why he began walking down the hallway towards the mirror room, but as he approached he could almost hear movement inside the room. Something not regular enough to be footsteps, but still distinctly human sounding.

Why was he walking  _ towards _ the weird sound? Wasn’t that how idiots in horror movies got themselves killed?

But he was so close. Almost close enough to make out the words of the song. Almost close enough to hear the movement he was sure he sensed inside the room. He took another step.

The singing stopped. It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room, and Xukun suddenly felt an urge to curl up and cry. A feeling of overwhelming sadness washing over him before disappearing completely.

Once the sadness was gone all Xukun felt was annoyance. Why the hell was he awake at 2 am when he had somewhere to be at 6 am?

He stalked up to the room, pulling the door open only to be greeted by the old piano in the corner, accompanied by it’s four reflections.  Xukun sighed in annoyance, walking into the room, “What, you have the nerve wake me up with your awful singing but you’re too scared to sing once I’m here? Annoying bastard.”

The words slipped out before he could think, and almost immediately he felt a strange sense of guilt. 

“I’m sorry,” he called out, not sure who he was even talking to, “I didn’t mean what I said. You have a beautiful voice.”

He could’ve sworn he heard someone gasp, but when he turned around all he saw was his own reflection staring back at him. 

~

“I think my house has depression.”

Ziyi choked on his food, turning to stare at Xukun, “Excuse me?”

“I meant…” Xukun turned the words over in his head, giving up when he realized there was no sane or logical way to phrase this, “My house was singing last night. It sounded like a sad song.”

Ziyi slowly put down his chopsticks, staring at Xukun like he had just grown a second head, “Your house was singing.” he repeated, his tone dubious, “Bro, you sure you slept enough last night?”

Xiaogui slid into the seat next to Xukun, “What’s up?”

Ziyi pointed a thumb in Xukun’s direction, “This one’s gone crazy.”

“Hey!” Xukun protested, “I definitely heard something! Though maybe it came from outside, I’m not sure.”

He _was_ sure. The singing definitely came from inside the house. It probably wouldn’t reflect well on his perceived sanity if he kept on arguing that point.

“He heard someone singing last night.”

Xiaogui’s eyes lit up, “Hey! Maybe it was a ghost! Your house does look very haunt-able. Did you try to talk to it?”

Ziyi rolled his eyes, “That’s ridicu-”

“I did actually,” Xukun admitted. Drawing another incredulous stare from Ziyi. Xukun threw a grape at Ziyi, “Don’t judge me, it was 2 am and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“So it didn’t respond?” Xiaogui asked, sounding slightly disappointed, “That sucks.”

Xukun was distracted for the rest of the day. Was there really a ghost in his house? Did ghosts even exist? Can ghosts sing?

“Maybe it was an intruder?” Justin suggested when Xukun told him what happened.

Chengcheng snorted in amusement, “Right. Someone broke into his house, sang a song, then left. Out of a room with no doors and a window that doesn’t open.”

Justin shoved Chengcheng playfully, “Well what else could’ve happened?”

Xukun sat back and listened to them bicker about the existence of ghosts, eyeing their still half full plates of food. He was the one that invited them to dinner, but after a full day of work he didn’t really feel too sociable.

Did he even want to go home though? Back to the empty house with that empty room. Except, the room wasn’t really empty. It had four mirrors and a window that let in enough light to illuminate the piano. It had beautiful ebony floorboards and a voice that sang sad songs.

“Kun ge? Are you ready to go?”

Xukun looked up to see that both Justin and Chengcheng had finished their food. He really needed to stop spacing out so much.

~

“I’m home.” He called out into the empty house, and immediately felt like an idiot. Who was he even talking to? The ghost? The musically gifted intruder?

“I had a stressful day,” he continued, feeling the awkwardness fade as he continued to talk into the empty space, “But I’m lucky enough to be able to see my friends at work. We talked about you.”

He hesitated at the foot of the stairs, not sure whether he should go to his room or go into the mirror room. Xukun groaned, sitting down on the steps, it was completely absurd that he was even making that decision. What was he going to do in an empty room with an instrument he couldn’t play?

“I’m going crazy.” Xukun told the house, “You sing to me once and all of a sudden I come home and start talking to nothing.”

He felt a sudden urge to laugh, and found that he was smiling, “I’m not even talking to myself,” he continued, “at least that could be considered fairly normal.”

He laughed at his own remark, and he could’ve sworn he heard the house laugh alongside him. Xukun could almost feel someone next to him. A presence, a consciousness, barely tangible but still there.

Xukun got up and began making his way up the stairs, ignoring the urge to visit the mirror room.

“My friends think I’ve gone crazy,” Xukun told the presence in the room, “I told them my house sang me a lullaby.”

Maybe he was deluding himself, but he imagined that the ghost would have laughed at that moment. He paused outside his bedroom door, somehow feeling reluctant to go in.

“I’m going to sleep.” he said, still not completely sure who he was talking to. 

Xukun stepped into his room and was suddenly overcome by a feeling of loneliness. The warmth drained out of the air. The silence deafening.

He glanced back out the door, “You can come in if you want.” he called out awkwardly. Nothing happened. No phantom presence. No feeling that someone should be there. 

Xukun huffed, “Fine. Be that way.”

He left the door open. 

~

“You look awful.”

“I have a ghost in my house.”

Zhangjing almost tripped over his own feet, giving him a look reminiscent of the look Ziyi gave him just yesterday.

“You think you have a ghost in your house?”

“Yup.” Xukun responded with a confidence he didn’t feel. He honestly wasn’t sure whether not he had imagined that presence last night.

Zhangjing sighed with a sort of exasperated amusement, “I thought Justin was kidding when he told us about this whole singing house thing.”

“Ghost or no ghost, someone was singing that night.”

Zhangjing laughed, “If they sing as well as you described then tell them they should help do backing vocals for this song.”

~

“Zhangjing offered you a job. Not sure if you remember him, but he’s the short one that’s almost always smiling.”

Xukun sat down and pulled out the food he had picked up on the way home, feeling disapproval waft over him.

He almost jumped up in excitement when he realized what that could mean, “You do exist don’t you?” he laughed, feeling almost giddy, “I could feel your disapproval when you saw my convenience store dinner.”

Xukun stared attentively into the empty living room, excitement bubbling up again when he registered another emotion in the room.

“Awww you’re shy? Not used to people talking to you like this huh?” Xukun teased, realizing, to his amusement, that he no longer had any reservations about talking at nobody.

He grinned, “I can feel you blushing, you get embarrassed easily don’t you? Is that why you didn’t sing for me last night?”

A soft whining sound was emitted into the air and Xukun jumped to his feet, dinner forgotten.

“Was that you? Can you do that again? Can you talk?” 

Xukun’s smile dropped when he felt the room go empty. Did he scare him away? Was it a him? Her? Neither? Somehow he felt like the presence was male.  He sat back down, feeling slightly dejected. 

“You can come into my room later if you want.” he called, disappointed when he couldn’t feel a response.

“Sing for me later?” he tried again, sighing when he still didn’t get a response. Xukun shoved the plastic tray of cold food into the fridge, appetite gone.

“Goodnight.” he called out into the empty room, feeling, for the first time, like he really was talking to nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

“Your brooding expression was great for the photoshoot but isn’t so great when you’re having lunch with friends.”

Xukun sighed, “I know. I’m just in a bad mood.”

“Talk to us,” Linong encouraged, “It isn’t about the new album coming out right? Because that’s going wonderfully.”

Xukun grimaced, “This is going to sound stupid, but it’s about the ghost in my house.”

He was impressed by Linong’s ability to keep a straight face. “What about it?” Linong continued, barely fazed. 

“I heard him speak. Kind of. He made a noise.”

Justin bounced in his seat, “Really? Can we come over later? Do you think he’ll talk to us? How do you know it’s a guy?”

“He’s not there anymore,” Xukun mumbled gloomily, “I walked around the whole house this morming and I couldn’t feel anything.”

“Do one of those thingies,” Chengcheng made an incomprehensible gesture with his hand, “You know, where you burn things in a circle. Or a square. I forgot which one it was.”

Zhangjing rolled his eyes, “We aren’t trying to summon Satan here. And you use a pentagram, not a square. Maybe try lighting incense?”

“You said he first appeared in the dance room?” 

Xukun looked at Ziyi in surprise, “The dance room?”

“The room with the mirrors. Any room with mirrors on the walls and a piano in the corner is probably used for dancing.”

“Oh, never thought of it that way. Yeah, he first appeared in that room. I think.”

“Maybe play the piano?” Ziyi offered.

“I don’t know how.” Xukun grumbled, suddenly regretting quitting piano lessons at age ten.

“Then just play music,” Linong suggested, “Play a song similar to the one he was singing and maybe it’ll summon him or something.”

“Just checking,” Yanjun interjected, “We’ve already decided the ghost exists and this isn’t Xukun hallucinating due to sleep deprivation?”

Zhangjing leaned over and muttered something to him, Yanjun rolling his eyes before smiling slightly and whispering something back. Xukun contemplated trying to eavesdrop on their conversation before deciding against it and returning his attention to his food.

He didn’t really have much scheduled for today, which meant he could return to the house if he wanted to. But what if the house was empty again? If the air remained still and the walls dead? 

He stopped by the store on the way home. Picking up cleaning supplies and not giving his mind space to think, to consider the possibilities. 

Xukun went straight to the mirror room, refusing to let his mind register the coldness of the house that was no longer alive. The air felt stale as he walked through it, leaving an unpleasant sensation lingering on his skin.

He swept the room. Dusted the piano. Wiped down the mirrors. Polished the floor. 

He scrubbed the floors until the ebony wood gleamed, ignoring the bitter silence and the staggering feeling of loneliness that accumulated every second he stayed in the empty room. Xukun grit his teeth, obstinately continuing to scrub at the floor.

He moved mindlessly around the room, clearing every blemish on the mirrors and polishing every piano key. He called a technician to come tune and repair the piano he couldn’t play. 

Xukun stared blankly into the room. Mind searching for an excuse to stay. A reason to stick around that didn’t include waiting for the shy man that sang sad songs. Because if he stayed there solely for the purpose of waiting, then it would just hurt all the more when he didn’t come back.

Xukun brought his blanket down and slept on the couch. Because his room was too stuffy, he told himself, not because the couch was closer to the room with the polished mirrors and the perfectly tuned piano.

And he fell asleep.

~

Tap.

Thump. Thump.

The sound of fabric sliding over wood.

Xukun froze, fully awake now. His heart pounded in his chest, almost loud enough to drown out the gentle thumping noises sounding from the room.  He stood up slowly, taking care to not make any noise. The irregular sounds continued, too soft and muted to be footsteps, too deliberate.

He was dancing, Xukun realized with a jolt, almost gasping out loud. He could almost feel the warmth of the floorboards under his feet. The house humming with life like a radiator that had been turned on.

Xukun felt a stab of impatience. The room too far and his footsteps too loud. He forced himself to keep a slow pace, heart stopping whenever the house went quiet and restarting when another two thumps resounded through the house.

He was jumping, Xukun guessed, the moment of quiet before the sound of gravity bringing feet back onto the newly polished floorboards. Xukun felt himself smile at the notion that ghosts were subject to gravity just like everyone else.

He was so close. Another step and he could reach out and touch the door. The sounds stopped.

Xukun resisted the urge to snarl in frustration, pinching himself to bring his attention back to reality. Focus, he told himself, the air still felt charged, the walls alive with a sort of numbing sorrow. 

He could almost hear the sounds of someone crying. 

Unable to resist, Xukun called out softly, “Are you okay?”

Sadness. Confusion. Self-consciousness. Distress. Panic.

“Hey, hey, stop worrying,” Xukun soothed, “Don’t be scared. Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to open the door okay?” 

He jolted back involuntarily, knees going weak from the sudden unadulterated fear coursing through him. “Woah, hey, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. Is it even possible to hurt you?”

Uncertainty. Unease. Shame.

Xukun opened the door. The air inside was warm. Alive. Infused with the scent that was unmistakably, intoxicatingly, human. He breathed it in, closing his eyes to better let the scent cloud his consciousness.

His eyes shot open when he heard a whine of embarrassment, a smile breaking across his face. “You’re embarrassed again!” he laughed, “you’re so easily flustered, it’s kind of adorable. As adorable empty air can be anyway.”

Embarrassment warmed the air and Xukun felt a feeling of elation come over him.

Xukun grinned, sitting against the wall and relaxing into a comfortable position, “Also you smell nice.” he threw in casually, delighted when the atmosphere seemed to become more flustered.

Xukun's eyes widened when he saw the air shimmer, the effect similar to the way the air rippled when it was hot.

Without thinking, he reached out and passed his hand through the rippling air, the sensation following mirrored that of sticking your hand into the refrigerator. At his touch, a startled yelp echoed throughout the room, louder than any noise that had been made before. 

“That was the most adorable sound I’ve ever heard.” Xukun teased, drawing a feeling of mortified embarrassment from the air, “I didn’t expect you to be so cold though, you looked kind of like a heat wave.”

Surprise. Fear. Uncertainty. 

Xukun’s smile faded, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

He felt a cold dread in the pit of his stomach as the life began to drain out of the room. He rushed out the door and back into the living room, chasing the feeling that was no longer there. 

The clock read 6 am. It was time for work.

~

“Ghost troubles again?”

Xukun raised an eyebrow, suprised at the sympathy in Ziyi’s voice, “You actually believe I have a ghost in my house?”

Ziyi made a face, “Despite the absurdity, yes actually, I do.”

Xukun felt the gloom lift a little, mouth curving into a faint smile, “He’s a dancer you know, you guys would probably get along.”

“Cool bro, if he ever shows himself I’ll come over to see him.”

Xukun rolled his eyes, not sure whether Ziyi was being serious or not, “We should get going now, are Justin and Chengcheng here yet?”

“Something came up, they aren’t going to make it.” Yanjun responded, overhearing their conversation.

Xukun frowned, both of them had seemed perfectly fine just yesterday, did they get sick?

“They aren’t sick,” Yanjun continued, seeing the concern on Xukun’s face, “I think a friend of theirs got hurt or something. The manager said we might postpone filming for today, so we’ll all get to go home early.”

Xukun nodded, mind already wandering to what he would do when he got home. With his hectic daily life his ghost had become a weird sort of constant in his life. 

Would he be home today? The ghost seems to be becoming more and more corporeal, his presence stronger, emotions more clear. Would the ghost be able to speak? It seemed to understand what Xukun was saying but it hadn’t spoken in words yet.

“Are you heading straight home?” Ziyi asked, packing up his bag, “I don’t have anything scheduled now that filming is canceled.”

“Probably, you want to come by?”

Ziyi’s eyes lit up with a slight eagerness, “Sure, gotta meet that ghost of yours someday.”

~

Xukun stepped into his house to hear the remnants of a fading melody. Was his ghost singing when Xukun wasn’t home?

“What, you’ll sing to yourself when I’m gone but once I’m home you stop?” Xukun called out, tossing his bag onto the couch, “Why don’t you sing when I’m around anymore?”

“Umm,” Ziyi started, reminding Xukun of his presence, “Who exactly are you talking to?”

Xukun flopped down on the couch, gesturing to Ziyi, “This is my friend Wang Ziyi, he’s a dancer just like you.”

“Hi?” Ziyi waved to no one in particular, looking equal parts awkward and weirded out. 

Xukun laughed, “You’re waving in the wrong direction.”

Ziyi looked confused, “How do you know? Can you see it?”

Xukun frowned. How did he know? “It was…..intuition I guess. I can’t see him right now, but yesterday I kind of saw him. I think.”

Frustration hung heavy in the room. Xukun could tell it was beginning to agitate Ziyi, who wasn’t used to the emotional atmospheres his ghost used to communicate.

Before he could say anything he felt the presence disappear. Xukun felt his heart lurch for a second before he realized that this disappearance was a bit different from the previous ones. It didn’t leave the house dead and the air stagnant, which probaby meant he was just hiding.

Ziyi still had a bewildered expression on his face, looking around the room before returning his attention to Xukun, “Are you...communicating with it or something? You did the spacing out thing again.”

Xukun sighed, “He’s shy. He went off somewhere to hide. Probably isn’t used to having so much company.”

Ziyi still looked weirded out, but he nodded and sat down, “So, the new album, how close do you think we are to finishing up?”

~

Xukun stacked the empty takeout boxes, glancing around the now empty room to see if his ghost had decided to come back. 

“Ziyi left already,” he told the empty space, “I think he likes you though, so next time maybe you could stick around? He looks a bit intimidating but I promise he’s friendly.”

Xukun finished cleaning up, staring into the dark room for a while longer before making his way towards the mirror room. The temperature seemed to drop as he walked down the hallway.  He touched the doorknob. The metal felt strangely cold.

“I’m going to come in okay?” he asked, waiting to see if he would get a response. 

He went in, the air in the room proving to be even colder than the hallway. Xukun could feel the fear brush coldly against his skin, making him shiver.  He instinctively glanced around the room, freezing when he looked over at the piano. The moonlight from the window warped as it shone down on the piano, as if it was shining through water.

He made his way slowly across the room, whatever was filtering the light shifting restlessly as Xukun moved closer.

“Hello there,” he greeted, keeping his voice as soft and comforting as he could, “It’s nice to meet you, my name is Cai Xukun. It’s weird that I’ve never introduced myself, considering I talk to you all the time.”

The space with warped light vaguely resembled a human, but the edges were too fluid and inconstant to form a definitive shape. It was an eerily beautiful sight.

Xukun knelt at the piano, trying to make himself look as non threatening as possible, “Remember the first night I was here? I was exhausted and you sang me to sleep. You had a beautiful voice, you should sing more often.”

“Why don’t you sing for me anymore?” he continued once it was evident that his incorporeal companion wasn’t going to speak, “I miss your voice, I hear it in my dreams you know?”

Xukun heard a soft gasping noise, a glimmer of light catching his eye. Instinctively, he reached out, feeling something cold hit his hand. He brought his hand to the light and saw a droplet of water clinging to the back of his hand.

Was that...a tear? Was his ghost crying? 

Xukun reached out as if to comfort him, but he found the space in front of him empty. He stood up, a familiar icy sensation making it’s way through his veins.

Dizzy with panic, Xukun began making his way through the house in a frenzy, only to be greeted by room after room of airless space and tired walls. It felt as if the house had been exsanguinated, and suddenly the once venerable house just looked old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad songs make me write sad words. I need a new playlist.


	3. Chapter 3

“Come on Kunkun, cheer up! This is supposed to be a celebration! Now that we’re done with our album we have almost a week off before we’ll be busy with promotions.”

Xukun nodded, trying for a smile, “Yeah, you guys make sure to rest well. You’ve worked hard.”

Linong frowned, giving Zhangjing an imploring look. Zhangjing got up and moved to the seat beside Xukun, “What’s wrong? You’ve been slightly off all week.”

Xukun swirled his straw in his drink, watching the ice cubes spin around, “The ghost in my house. He was becoming more visible, and he was scared. He was crying the night he-”

Xukun broke off, feeling a violent tightness seize his chest, “The night he..…...he’s gone alright? He left me in that stupid decaying house. He’s gone and I feel like I’m missing a fucking limb. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?”

“Xukun….come on. You know we all care about you. I’m sorry if it feels intrusive but we’re just worried.”

Xukun took a deep breath, feeling himself calm down, “It’s fine. I was just…..trying not to think about him. I’ve been- I’ve been staying in a hotel for the past week.” he admitted.

Zhangjing’s eyes widened, “Are you serious? Why would you do that?”

Xukun hugged his knees to his chest, feeling strangely cold, “I can’t stay in that house. I can’t. Everyday after work I’ll go home and walk through the empty rooms, I do that until it hurts to breathe that stagnant air and then I leave.”

Linong winced at his words, and Xukun suddenly felt guilty for unloading on them. “It’s okay, I’ll be fi-”

“We’re here! What’d we miss?”

Justin and Chengcheng barreled through the door, tackling the nearest person, who happened to be Yanjun, into a hug.

“Hey,” Yanjun greeted them, “Didn’t think you guys would make it. Your mood seems to have improved.”

Justin beamed, “We got good news from the doctor!”

“It’s about your friend right? He recovered?”

The smiles fell from their faces and they glanced at each other, “No.” they sighed gloomily. Chengcheng tried for a smile, “But he’s better.”

Justin nodded, “He’ll get better.”

Chengcheng glanced at him, expression apprehensive, but he didn’t say anything, opting to change the subject instead, “Is there any food left? I’m starving and hospital food sucks.”

Once everyone’s attention was diverted back to their own conversations, Xukun pulled Chengcheng aside.

“You look a bit distressed, you can talk to me about it if you want.”

Chengcheng fidgeted, shaking his head, “It’s fine, I don’t really want to make other people sad just because I’m sad.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with things alone. Besides, what kind of leader would I be if you guys aren’t comfortable confiding in me when you’re stressed?”

“One of our brothers is in the hospital and he won’t wake up,” Chengcheng blurted, “He was hit by a car and his wounds healed but he didn’t wake up. His brain activity reached normal levels but he still won’t wake up. Why won’t he wake up?”

Xukun pulled him into a hug, patting his back, “Is this what happened last week? You guys have been dealing with this yourselves?”

Chengcheng pulled away, looking slightly more put together, “The accident happened months ago, but last week he went into critical condition and was under emergency care for almost a week. It was only today that he recovered from that.”

Chengcheng sighed, “His brain activity recovered past what it was before the ICU, and we all thought he would wake up. But he didn’t.”

He glanced back towards where the others were still chatting, “Justin’s convinced this means Zhengting ge is going to wake up soon, since his brain is normal again, but I heard that some coma patients never wake up.”

Xukun felt a twinge of guilt, they’ve been dealing with this and he’s throwing a fit over losing his already dead friend? He really needed to get his shit together. Go back to his house. Sleep in his bed. Maybe even turn the mirror room into a guest room.

He winced at that thought. Nope. Backtrack. He was going to leave the mirror room alone. He wasn’t ready to fully forget about his ghost yet.

Baby steps, he told himself, he was going back to his house.

~

Something felt off. When Xukun entered his house he was immediately overcome with a feeling of unease, the air dripping with an apprehension that coated his lungs and stained his clothes.

“Welcome home.”

Xukun jumped, eyes immediately scanning the room and coming to a rest on a figure sitting on his couch. It looked like a melting ice sculpture of a human, shifting, inconstant, indefinite. The ice sculpture stared back at him, and the more Xukun stared at the ever changing face the more disoriented he became.

“Why can’t I see your face?” He blurted, causing the ghost to jolt back in surprise.

Xukun’s words came out harsher than he intended, frustration evident in his voice. He finally got to meet his ghost face to face and he couldn’t even see his face? What kind of injustice was that?

“I’m sorry,” The ghost squeaked, voice shaky, “I woke up and suddenly I was like this.”

Xukun calmed his misplaced frustration, it wasn’t the ghost’ss fault his form was so annoyingly ephemeral. He smiled, excitement replacing his initial irritation, “Nice to finally see you, what’s your name?”

“I don’t know.”

Xukun frowned, moving to sit next to the ghost. He flinched when Xukun approached but didn’t move away. “Okay then, how much do you remember about yourself? And where were you last week? I was worried about you!”

Surprise resonated from the ghost’s form, “I wasn’t here last week?”

“You disappeared.” Xukun told him, “It...It really scared me. Don’t leave again okay? You can stay here as long as you want.”

A tinkling laughter filled the room, “I thought most people prefered houses that weren’t haunted? Most people also don’t walk towards strange noises when they’re alone in a house in the middle of the night.”

Xukun shrugged, “I’ve gotten used to your company. You don’t seem very threatening either. Even if-” Xukun looked the ghost over, “-you are about my height, I think, I don’t think you could hurt me.”

“I don’t know a lot about myself,” The ghost admitted, “But I know I’m not a violent person. I like to sing and dance and I think I’m in my 20’s. Or, I was in my 20’s when I-” the ghost broke off, sighing and the temperature in the room dropped, “I also know I don’t want to be dead.”

Xukun reached out to comfort him, but despite looking like glass, Xukun’s fingers passed uselessly through his form like he was made out of air. Xukun pursed his lips in disappointment and pulled his hand back.

“Did you have unfinished business? Is that why you became a ghost?”

“I don’t know,” the ghost said, sounding like he was ready to cry, “But I remember that there were people. People I cared about. People that needed me. I don’t even know if they’re still alive. I don’t know how long I’ve been…...like this.”

“Do you know what a phone is?”

“Huh? Of course I do!”

Xukun wracked his brain for other things that marked time, “Any TV shows you like watching? What mainstream idols do you know of?”

Even without seeing the ghost’s face, Xukun could feel it’s eyes fixed on him, “I know that you’re an idol. Cai Xukun right? Rapper, songwriter?”

“You’ve heard of me?” Xukun thought back to when he first came into the public eye, “And you said you were in your twenties when you...passed away. So at the very most you’re in your thirties right now, whoever you’re looking for is very likely still around.”

“You think so? If I ever remember anything about them will you help me look for them? I just want to know if they’re okay. I don’t expect them to come see me or anything, not when….I look like this.”

Xukun reached out and brushed his fingers lightly against the ghost’s form, hoping it came off as comforting, “Of course I’ll help you. Is there a name you’d like to go by? I can’t keep referring to you as ‘my pet ghost’ everytime I talk about you.”

He could’ve sworn the ghost blushed.

“If I’m your pet you might as well name me then, I wouldn’t mind.” the ghost stumbled over his words, embarrassment coming off of him in waves and the last part of his sentence barely audible.

Xukun laughed, “Okay then. How about Theo? An english name is easier to come up with than a chinese name.”

“I like it. It’s nice to meet you Cai Xukun, my name is Theo. May I live here?”

~

“You’re in a good mood.” Ziyi commented, “It’s nice not having to wake up at 6 am every morning huh?”

Xukun nodded, “Yeah, it feels kind of weird to not have everyone around all the time though. It’s almost too quiet without the others.”

Ziyi hummed in agreement, “Aren’t you used to quiet by now? Since you live all alone in that house. You don’t even get that much city noise in that area.”

Xukun sighed, “Yeah, it’s so quiet in the house now. I feel like Theo’s even more timid than before. I used to talk to him for hours on end but now he’s too shy to speak or show himself.”

“Theo?”

“The ghost in my house. He can actually speak out loud now and I can see him, sometimes, he prefers keeping himself hidden.”

“WHAT?”

“I know, it’s stupid right? He has nothing to be self conscious about, I can’t even see him properly, and even if I could I doubt I’d care too much about how he looks.”

“Wait. Wait. Hold up.” Ziyi stared at him, bewilderment written all over his face, “You can’t just spring the fact that you can see and hear your ghost friend and then go straight to talking about how his name is Theo and how shy he is.”

“When,” Ziyi gestured vaguely, “Did all this happen?”

“Oh. Yeah, uh, just last night actually. I came home and he was sitting on my couch. He looks like a person made out of water, you can’t really make out any distinguishable features. Which is kind of annoying since I was looking forward to seeing what he looked like.”

“Ooookay,” Ziyi said slowly, “This is weird. You’re just going to let him stay in your house? He isn’t dangerous or anything?”

Xukun laughed, “Nah, he couldn’t hurt a fly. It’s nice having company, he’s about my age and we have a similar taste in music. He refuses to sing for me though.”

“If I come over will he talk to me this time?”

Xukun smiled inwardly, glad Ziyi seemed accepting of his new friend, “I’m not sure. Theo seems really self conscious about his voice and appearance, since he’s not used to people seeing or hearing him.”

“Hey, I’ll never know unless I try.”

~

“I’m home! I brought a friend, remember Ziyi?”

Xukun smiled when he saw Theo emerge, phasing through the door of the mirror room. He stopped at the other side of the living room, staring at them nervously.

“Hi there, I’m Wang Ziyi. Not sure if you remember me. It’s nice to finally meet you Theo.”

Theo bowed in greeting, but didn’t come any closer, his hazy form shifting nervously. 

“Come on Theo, sit with us,” Xukun coaxed, “Don’t be nervous. Nothing’s changed from before, you don’t need to keep avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you.” Theo muttered, his voice barely audible from across the room, “I just…...I promise I’ll talk to you later.”

With that Theo disappeared, drawing a disappointed sigh from Xukun. “See what I mean? Ever since this morning he won’t even come within ten feet of me. Last night he sat right next to me and didn’t even seem bothered.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t even talk to me. Don’t worry bro, he probably just needs time to adjust. Once he’s comfortable I’ll come by again yeah?” Ziyi stood up to go, “Go talk to your ghost, I need to go home and make sure Xiaogui didn’t burn down the house.”

He walked Ziyi to the door before turning back towards the living room with a sigh. Last night Theo seemed fairly comfortable around Xukun, he even let Xukun touch him. Well, try to touch him at least.

Xukun walked over to the couch and sat down, “Talk to me?” he called towards the mirror room.

“Close your eyes.” a voice called back.

Xukun frowned slightly, but did as Theo asked anyway, “My eyes are closed.” he announced, “Will you talk to me now? I miss you.”

Theo squeaked in embarrassment, the noise sounding fairly close, “How do you say things like that with a straight face?” 

Xukun noticed with satisfaction that Theo’s voice seemed to be coming from right next to him, “What’s with you today? You avoided me all morning and now you won’t come near me unless my eyes are closed?”

“I, uh, feel different today. Weird.”

Xukun felt a spark of curiosity, “What do you mean?”

Theo didn’t speak, but Xukun felt something cold brush against his hand. The touch was light, but undeniably solid. 

“You-!” Xukun’s eyes shot open, body turning to face the ghost next to him. 

He was greeted by a face. A face with vague features and an adorably surprised expression. It was like looking at a bad quality picture, outlines unclear and lines blurry. Xukun was sure his face would be flushed red if he weren’t translucent.

“I told you to close yo-” Theo broke off, moving away with a panicked expression on his now visible features.

Xukun moved without thinking, grabbing Theo’s wrist and pulling him back onto the couch. He tumbled forward, using his bodyweight to pin Theo against the cushions. “Stay.” he ordered, “No more running away.”

The panic slipped away and Theo’s lips parted in a gasp, eyes glassy, “You’re so warm,” he breathed, eyes fluttering closed and body shivering. His whole body went limp, breaths coming out in shallow gasps.

Xukun eased his grip, brushing his thumb over the smooth surface of Theo’s wrist. It felt almost like touching marble, except the soft skin gave slightly under the pressure of Xukun’s fingers, reminding him that what he was touching was undeniably human, despite the lack of warmth.

Fascinated, Xukun reached out to run his fingers through Theo’s hair, startled when the sensation mimicked that of submerging your hand in water. Theo’s breath hitched, instinctively leaning into Xukun’s touch before his eyes flew open and he started squirming.

“Caixukun- don’t-” Theo gasped, “Let me go? Please?”

Xukun leaned forward, taking care not to put too much of his weight onto the boy under him, “Promise not to run away?”

“I won’t.” Theo promised, voice barely a whisper.

Xukun sat back, keeping his fingers locked loosely around Theo’s wrist, “When did this happen?”

Theo squirmed under Xukun’s gaze, still trembling slightly, “When I woke up this morning I felt different. I wasn’t completely sure what happened, but I can interact with things now. I- I could feel my face and limbs, but I don’t show up in mirrors so I don’t know what I look like.”

“First of all, you look beautiful,” Xukun stated, “you didn’t need to hide your face from me.”

Theo fidgeted nervously, looking distracted, “I, um, can you...” he glanced towards the hand Xukun still held captive, “let me go? It’s......distracting. The warmth.”

Xukun reluctantly let go of Theo’s hand, “Sorry.” he muttered, “Did I hurt you at all? Are you okay?”

“It didn’t hurt,” Theo reassured him, “It just, um…..nevermind, can you tell me what I look like?”

Xukun studied Theo’s face carefully, making him shift self-consciously again, “Your features are still a little out of focus, but I can tell that you're attractive. Pretty more than handsome, especially when you were completely relaxed and your eyes were closed. You’re cute when you’re nervous-”

“Okay, okay! Stop it! Jesus christ, how can you say things like that so easily?” 

“Because I’m comfortable around you.”

Theo hid his face in his hands, “I’m going to die of embarrassment. You realize that you’re an idol and I probably used to be your fan? Since I knew who you were.”

Xukun laughed, “Is that why you’re so flustered all the time? That’s so cute. Hmm, how could I use that to my advantage? I’ll sing for you if you sing for me?”

“That’s not fair!” Theo whined, “Stop bribing me, it’s embarrassing enough that I woke you up with my awful singing once before.”

Xukun’s smile faded, “You know I didn’t mean it when I called your singing awful. I was just grouchy because I got up at 2 am to investigate a sound and it disappeared once I got close. You know, now that I think about it, maybe you were an idol in your past life? Or a trainee?”

Theo blinked, looking slightly confused, “Why would you say that?”

“You can sing, dance, and look like that,” Xukun gestured towards Theo’s face, “if you weren’t an idol I bet you could be one if you wanted to.”

Theo rolled his eyes, “Stop flattering me. I already forgave you for whatever mean things you said when you were sleep deprived. You got home really early today, didn’t you have work?”

Xukun reclined, putting his feet up on the coffee table, “Nope. I have a few days off before promotions start and I have to answer the same questions over and over until I feel like punching a wall. Did you want to make plans for what we’re going to do?”

Theo raised an eyebrow, “You’re making plans with me? Don’t you have friends? You know, ones that are alive?”

“We could invite them over if you wanted. Not all at the same time obviously, but I know a few of them would be really excited to meet you.”

Theo cringed, “Last time Wangziyi visited I was pretty rude to him wasn’t I? Ignoring him and only addressing you was a horrible first impression to make, why did I do that? Would it sound insincere if I apologized?”

Xukun rolled his eyes, “Stop worrying. You’re fine. He probably found your nervousness endearing.”

His phone rang, cutting off any argument Theo was going to make. Xukun glanced down at the caller ID, “Speak of the devil.”

He picked up, “Hey, what’s up.”

“Remember this isn’t my fault. Xiaogui thought it was unfair that I got to meet Theo and he didn’t so, uh, yeah. We’re arriving in about 30 seconds ok bye.”

He stared blankly at his phone for a second before turning back to Theo’s apprehensive expression, “Don’t freak out. Ziyi and Xiaogui are coming ov-”

“-Hey! Don’t you dare-” Xukun grabbed Theo’s arm before he could escape and he immediately went slack, shuddering and falling back onto the couch. He slung his arm around Theo’s shoulders, keeping him in place, “No running away,” he reprimanded gently, “At least greet them.”

“You’re not playing fair,” Theo gasped, boby going rigid for a few seconds before he gave up and relaxed into the warmth Xukun was emanating, resting his cheek against Xukun’s shoulder, “Tell me if you get too cold,” he mumbled.

“I won’t.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Is he…..sleeping?”

Ziyi paused at the doorway, eyes wide as he stared at the semiopaque figure curled up against Xukun. 

Xiaogui gave him an impatient shove, walking unconcernedly into the room, “Stop blocking the way, I can’t see- oh. Wow. Is that him? He looks nothing like how ghosts are described in folklore. Hi!”

“Quiet!” Ziyi hissed, punching him on the shoulder, “I think he’s sleeping.”

Theo stirred against Xukun, opening his eyes and blinking sleepily, “Wha-” he jolted upright when he saw two unfamiliar pairs of eyes staring at him, glancing at Xukun for guidance.

“Say hi.” Xukun suggested.

Ziyi approached, kneeling in front of the couch so that they were face to face, hoping it would make him seem less intimidating, “Sorry for waking you up, I’m Wang Ziyi, in case you don’t remember me. The loud one behind me is Wang Linkai.” he held out a hand, “Nice to meet you?”

Theo shifted so that he was sitting next to Xukun instead of laying against him, staring at Ziyi’s outstretched hand.

“Hello,” Theo greeted him, lifting his hand hesitantly before letting it drop back into his lap, “I’m sorry for how I acted last time. I wasn’t trying to be rude.”

Ziyi pulled his hand back, looking slightly disappointed, “It’s okay. It’s normal to be a little nervous around strangers.”

Instead of seeking permission like Ziyi, Xiaogui guilelessly reached over and grabbed Theo’s hand in a handshake, “Nice to finally meet you- oh wow your hand is really cold- you can call me Xiaogui if you want.”

Theo looked startled, eyes glazing over slightly and breath quickening the way it did whenever he made physical contact with a living person. 

Xukun smacked Xiaogui’s hand away, mildly irritated, “Don’t do that, he’s not used to physical contact yet.”

“Oh, no, i-it’s fine,” Theo assured, “Nice to meet you Wanglinkai, I like the way your hair’s styled, it suits you.”

Xiaogui grinned, “Thanks. I like your hair too, it looks so interesting. Can I touch it?”

“Nope.” Ziyi cut in, “You don’t ask to touch a stranger’s hair, stop being rude. We don’t get to be intrusive just because his body’s a little different. He’s still a person.” 

Theo smiled at Ziyi, “Thank you.” he stood up and bowed, “I’ll leave you guys alone now, it was nice meeting you.” He glanced at Xukun, “I can leave now right?” he checked.

Xukun sighed, “I did say you only had to stay for introductions, but it would be nice if you stayed. Or at least join us later. I’m sure they want to get to know you better.”

“Of course. I promise I’ll at least be here to see them off.” Theo reached out and touched Ziyi’s arm, making him freeze in place, “Sorry again for how I acted before.”

Once Theo was gone Ziyi let out the breath he was holding, “Wow. He feels like he’s made out of ice.”

“I thought all ghosts were old men with monocles? Or women with long hair and blood coming out of their eyes?” Xiaogui wondered out loud, “he looks like the glass sculpture of some k-pop idol.”

“He seems to like you guys, which is completely unfair, since it took forever for him to get used to me.” Xukun complained, pouting slightly.

Xiaogui laughed, “Maybe we’re just more charming. Who are you going to introduce him to next? I know Chengcheng and Justin are excited to meet him, but their enthusiasm might scare him. You should drag Nongnong here, it’s impossible not to like him.”

“Let’s all meet up tomorrow,” Ziyi suggested, “We almost never hang out all together outside of work. I’m assuming they don’t know Theo has a voice and body now?”

“I haven’t told them yet.” Xukun admitted.

“If we tell them about Theo ahead of time,” Ziyi shot Xiaogui an amused look, “They won’t act brashly and possibly scare him off.”

“Hey!” Xiaogui exclaimed indignantly, “What did I do?”

Xukun smiled, it was nice to be able to hang out with friends and talk about something other than work. He was glad they all seemed so open to adding a ghost to their friend group.  He sat back and let himself imagine the nine of them sitting around his living room, laughing and talking, enjoying each other’s company. It was a nice image.

~

Xukun couldn’t sleep. His body seemed to forget that he didn’t need to wake up at 5 am to get ready for work today, because now he was awake at 5 am and bored out of his mind.  He gave up on going back to sleep, going to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The pre-dawn light cast a gray film over the house, making it look equal parts peaceful and eerie. 

As he made his way down the stairs he saw that the couch was empty. Did Theo not sleep on the couch? Or was he just awake already?

He lightened his footsteps, making an effort to stay quiet as he made his way down the hall and to the mirror room. Xukun turned the doorknob slowly, flinching when the normally soft clicking noise of the door opening sounded excessively loud in the quiet stillness of the morning.

Xukun stepped quietly into the room, inhaling sharply when he saw Theo curled up on the floor. Limbs now clearly defined. Facial features sharp. Brown hair falling in lethargic curls around his face. He looked so  _ real _ . If not for the ever present translucence he would have looked fully human.

His pale skin stood out strikingly against the dark ebony of the floorboards, no longer taking on the appearance of melting ice. The colors were still slightly subdued, like a watercolor painting instead of solid colors.

Xukun was tempted to pick him up and lay him somewhere that wasn’t the hardwood floor, but if he touched him he’d probably be startled awake. He decided to let Theo sleep, leaving the room quietly and deciding to go out for a run instead.

On his way home he began to feel restless, feeling the need to tell someone, anyone, about everything. Forgetting about the time, he called Ziyi, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.

“The fuck dude? It’s 6 am go back to sleep.” Xiaogui’s voice reprimanded him sleepily.

“Not even going to ask why you have Ziyi’s phone. Don’t hang up. I want to talk to you about Theo.”

Xiaogui groaned, and Xukun could hear the sound of blankets rustling on the other end as Xiaogui sat up in bed, “Of course you woke me up at 6 am to talk about your boyfriend. Go on.”

“His appearance changed again,” Xukun told him, ignoring the boyfriend comment, “He no longer looks like he’s made of glass and his facial features aren’t blurry anymore. He also has brown hair. And very long legs.”

“Great, another person who I’m going to look short next to,” Xiaogui joked halfheartedly, still sounding partially asleep, “Tell him I’ll come see him later. I’m going back to sleep now. Bye.”

Xukun pocketed his phone, walking up to his front door before pausing. He could vaguely hear someone singing inside the house. 

He leaned forward and pressed his ear to the door, hearing Theo’s voice come through more clearly. To his surprise he actually recognized the song. It was a fairly recent song too, which meant Theo was probably closer to his age than he originally guessed.

Xukun opened the door and stepped into the house, “Justin and Chengcheng love that song,” he said, finally realizing why the song sounded familiar, “They used to play it a lot.”

Theo jumped at the sound of Xukun’s voice, and Xukun noted with delight that he could now actually see the blush bloom across his cheeks. “You’re back! I thought you were meeting your friends today?”

Xukun joined Theo on the couch, his eyes still lingering on his face, taking in details that weren’t visible before, “I’m meeting them later, it’s still pretty early, they’re probably still asleep.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot about the time.” Theo glanced at Xukun, fidgeting nervously, “Why are you looking at me like that? I can’t see myself in mirrors so it’s not my fault if I look like a mess.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Your appearance changed again.” Xukun told him, “You look almost just like a normal human now, just with a bit of translucence added. You have beautiful hair. And eyes. And lips.”

Theo cringed, ears turning red, “Ugh, why do I ever let you describe my appearance to me? You say a bunch of embarrassing and vague things until I’m dying of embarrassment and I still have no idea how I look.”

Xukun pouted, “Come on, it’s boring if I just say ‘brown hair, pale skin’ that describes about 90% of this area's population.” he held out his hand, “Here, give me your hand.”

“Huh?” Theo blinked in surprise, “What for?”

Xukun gestured impatiently, “I want to see if you feel different too, give me your hand.”

Theo offered his hand nervously, his entire body tense. Despite bracing himself, he still flinched when Xukun’s warm skin came into contact with his, breathing becoming strained.

Unconcerned, Xukun ran his fingers against the back of Theo’s hand and over his knuckles. His skin was still deathly cold, but it somehow seemed less icy than before. He flipped Theo’s hand over, tracing his fingers over the veins on his wrist.

“You look so real.” Xukun said in wonder, glancing up at Theo and noticing the tension present in his expression, “Are you feeling okay? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Theo shook his head, taking in a strained breath, “Nope. Just trying very hard not to do something embarrassing.”

“Like…?”

Theo wrinkled his nose, “Like wrapping myself around the nearest heat source and then inconveniently falling asleep right before company arrives.”

Xukun laughed, dropping Theo’s hand and holding out his arms invitingly, “We don’t have company this time, you can take a nap here if you want to.”

“Stop joking around,” Theo muttered, ears reddening, “You’d probably just catch frostbite or something.”

Xukun moved closer, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, “Not joking. It would be nice to see you sleep comfortably after finding out you’ve been sleeping on the hardwood floor all this time and I didn’t even notice.”

Theo flinched, “You have a nice floor?” he offered.

“Do I not have a nice couch?” Xukun asked, trying not to smile, “If you don’t like it I’ll sleep here and you can take my bed.”

“Stop teasing me!” Theo pouted, “I would smack you but physical contact would impair my ability to argue with you.”

“Would it now?” Xukun smirked, “What a tragedy that would be.” He barely finished speaking before he lunged forward, pulling Theo against him and trapping him into a loose headlock.

“Where will you be sleeping tonight?”

Theo looked up at him, eyes glassy and gaze unfocused, “I like the floor,” he insisted stubbornly, breathing slightly labored., "And you're not playing fair."

Xukun shook his head fondly, releasing his grip in favor of wrapping an arm around Theo’s waist, “What do you have against my couch? I chose it specifically so that even Ziyi could fit comfortably on it, it’s a very long couch.”

Theo let out a sigh, his body going languid and settling more comfortably against Xukun’s. “Doesn’t seem appropriate for me to sleep in your living room,” he muttered, words slurring from drowsiness, “It’s a public area. What if your friends visit?”

“Sleep in my room then,” Xukun suggested, “My bed is big enough for both of us, and at least the floor is carpeted if you still insist on sleeping there.”

Theo lifted his head, giving Xukun a sleepy glare, “That’s even less appropriate. I’m not going to invade your personal space.”

“You’re my roommate now,” Xukun sighed, “You don’t have to be so overly decorous all the time.”

“Mmm’not your roommate if I don’t pay rent, housing prices are rising...” Theo murmured, eyes falling closed and the rest of his sentence drifting into an incoherent hum as he fell asleep.

Moving slowly, Xukun carefully lifted Theo off the couch, finding that he was surprisingly light considering his size and surprisingly heavy considering his less than corporeal state of existence.

Xukun shifted so that Theo’s head rested comfortably against his chest as he climbed up the stairs. He really was pretty when he was asleep. Long eyelashes brushing against his cheek and soft lips slightly parted as he took one steady breath after another. Xukun was tempted to take a picture but figured he probably wouldn’t show up on camera anyway.

He laid Theo gently on his bed, covering him with a blanket before leaning over and kissing him on the forehead.

“Sleep well.”

~

“He didn’t even notice his phone was missing! He just went straight to sleep! And then,” Xiaogui glanced at Xukun, “I was punished for stealing Ziyi’s phone when Kun called him at 6 am and woke me up instead.”

Everyone laughed, Xiaogui sulking lightheartedly, “And it turns out Kun was just freaking out about the fact that Theo has brown hair, I swear this kid is so whipped.”

“Who’s Theo?” Zhangjing wondered out loud.

Xiaogui waved his hand dismissively, “The name he gave his pet ghost. He got a physical body yesterday and apparently achieved HD color or something this morning.”

Justin and Chengcheng’s eyes lit up with excitement, “Why didn’t you tell us? Can we meet him? What does he look like? Is he cute? Oh wait, how old was he again…….eh, well I guess old people could be cute too.”

“Uhh,” Xukun was slightly taken aback by the influx of questions, “I think he’s 20-something-ish? He’s kind of shy so I’m not sure everyone visiting at once would be a good idea. He’s about my height, brown hair, pale skin, and yeah he’s kinda cute.”

Ziyi raised an eyebrow at Xukun, “Kind of cute? Are you kidding? He’s downright adorable. I would’ve cooed and pinched his cheek if I weren’t trying to make a good third impression.”

“Ziyi’s met him three times already? That’s not fair!” Justin whined, “ When do we get to go see him?”

“To be fair.” Xukun defended, “The first two times Theo didn’t even physically exist yet and the third time he and Xiaogui turned up uninvited. How about I call you guys later and you can talk to him on the phone?”

“Awww why can’t we meet him?” Chengcheng complained, pouting, “We promise to behave.”

“Because Kunkun already promised I could meet him today,” Linong piped up looking both apologetic and slightly smug, “We don’t want to overwhelm him by introducing too many people.”

“If you didn’t want to overwhelm him why did you introduce Xiaogui?” Zhangjing teased, “When I first saw him I was too scared to even talk to him!”

“Hey!” Xiaogui protested, “I made a great first impression.”

“Better make a better second impression then,” Ziyi muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth quirked into a smile, “Maybe try not scaring him off this time.”

Xiaogui smacked him.

~

“Hey dude, oh wow I didn’t notice how tall you were the first time, with the blurriness and all that. You look good like this.”

Theo took a step back, startled by Xiaogui’s sudden appearance, “H-Hello. Um, Wanglinkai right? It’s nice to meet you again.”

Xiaogui grinned, patting Theo on the shoulder as he walked by, completely unfazed by the lack of warmth coming from his body. He seated himself on the couch, gesturing for Theo to join him, “Kun, Ziyi and Linong are on their way. They’re such slow drivers.”

“Oh. Caixukun’s bringing a friend?” Theo asked, suddenly looking nervous, “What’s he like?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Xiaogui reassured, “His name’s Chen Linong and he’s the embodiment of sunshine. You’ll probably get along with him. Did Kun not tell you about our friend group?”

Theo shook his head, moving to sit a cautiously polite distance away from Xiaogui on the couch, still looking a little nervous from being alone with a (mostly) stranger.

“Well, You Zhangjing is the oldest, but he’s also the shortest. He has a temper without being scary, like one of those small dogs that barks a lot. And then there’s Lin Yanjun, who will most definitely flirt with you at some point…”

By the time Xukun, Ziyi, and Linong arrived the atmosphere was more relaxed, both people were laughing openly and leaning into the conversation.

“....Justin looks innocent but I swear that kid can be the devil sometimes. You put Justin and Chengcheng in the same room and suddenly their collective IQ drops a good 100 points and they’re sharing the same three brain cells. Oh hey, finally got here huh?”

“Hey,” Xukun greeted them, “Good to see that you’re getting along. This is Chen Linong.”

“Hi there!” Linong greeted, a smile on his face, “My name is Chen Linong but you can just call me Nongnong.”

“He won’t,” Xiaogui scoffed, “I’ve told him to call me by my nickname at least five times now and he still insists on using ‘Wanglinkai’, usually people only use my full name when they’re about to scold me or something.”

Xukun laughed, poking Theo on the forehead, “You don’t need to be so overly polite, they’ll be familiar faces before long.”

Theo smiled at Linong, “Nice to meet you, I’m Theo.”

“I know, Kunkun talks about you all the time. He says he’s going to move the couch into the dance room because apparently you refuse to sleep in the living room.”

“What?” Theo glared at Xukun, “Don’t you dare.”

Xukun nudged Linong with his elbow, “You weren’t supposed to tell him that!”

“I heard sleeping on the ground can be good for your posture.” Ziyi mentioned.

Xukun let out a noise halfway between a sigh and a laugh, “He’s a dancer, his posture is just fine.”

Ziyi’s eyes lit up at that, “I forgot that you were a dancer! Could you show me something?”

Theo shook his head, looking mildly panicked, “Oh, no, I don’t really dance in front of oth-” he stopped mid-sentence, looking slightly confused, “No. That’s not right…...I think I do? Dance in front of other people? I mean, I think I used to….”

“That’s great!” Linong exclaimed, “You and Ziyi can practice while Xukun and I prepare dinner?”

“Good idea,” Xiaogui agreed, grabbing Ziyi dragging him towards the dance room, “I’ll go with them since I can’t cook, bye!”

Theo followed them hesitantly, glancing back at Xukun, who just gave him a confused shrug.

He watched in slight confusion as the three of them disappeared down the hall before turning towards Linong, “We don’t know how to cook.”

“That’s not important, we’ll just order takeout,” Linong said dismissively, “I just needed to talk to you.”

“Yeah? About what?”

“Theo. You’ve gotten pretty attached to him.”

Xukun crossed his arms, suddenly feeling defensive, “Is that a bad thing?”

“Of course not, it’s just that you’re not usually like that. You’re pretty distant and take forever to open up to people.” Linong stated, “But you told me you lulled him to sleep then carried him up to  _ your _ room and let him sleep in  _ your _ bed.”

“I just felt bad that he was sleeping on the floor,” Xukun argued, his excuse sounding weak even to himself.

Linong gave him an are-you-kidding look, “Ziyi told me when he visited yesterday that you guys were cuddling on the couch. You’re literally the least physically affectionate person I’ve met. Something’s up, tell me? You know I'm the best at keeping secrets.”

“Fine,” Xukun gave in, “I feel weirdly attached to him. Protective. He’s always so jumpy and overly cautious that it makes me want to protect him from whatever might hurt him.”

“And?”

“And nothing. That’s all.”

Linong raised an eyebrow.

Xukun threw his hands in the air, always a flair for the dramatic, “You already know he’s my type! What do you want me to say? That I’m attracted to him? Those two-” Xukun motioned towards the direction Ziyi and Xiaogui headed off to earlier, “would probably be too if they weren’t straight. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Linong gave him a knowing look, but didn’t push him on it, “So, what did you want to order for dinner?”

They lapsed into a more comfortable conversation as Linong searched for nearby takeout places.

“Do you have a picture of Justin and Chengcheng?” Xukun asked offhandedly, “I wanted to show Theo a picture of them before they come over tomorrow.”

Linong didn’t look up from the computer, still choosing items from an online menu, “Go through the Yuehua photo archive,” he suggested, “that way you can get a clear photo of just those two.”

Xukun hummed in acknowledgement, pulling up the website on his phone, “What kind of picture? Makeup, no makeup? Costuming, no costuming?”

Linong looked up, eyes glinting mischievously, “Choose one of the really old performance photos. You know, when they used to dress in bright colors and act all cute.”

Xukun laughed, scrolling further down, “Good idea.”

He flipped idly through the photos, glancing over one of Justin laying across a couch, legs slung over Chengcheng’s lap and head resting in another person’s lap, his hand holding up a peace sign as he grinned at the camera.

Xukun froze. Eyes glued to the face of the man Justin was currently using as a pillow. Even with his hair cut shorter and dyed blonde, Xukun would recognize that face anywhere.

“Look at this…” Xukun handed his phone to Linong, his throat dry and mind racing. How was this possible? Justin and Chengcheng never mentioned a dead friend, maybe it was private? But they were always very open about everything…

“That’s…..that’s Theo isn’t it?” Linong stared down at the picture, expression unsure, “How…...….okay, okay. Everything’s okay. I’m going to search him up.” Linong looked up at Xukun, “Deep breaths. Sit down, you look like you’re about to have a stroke.”

Xukun sat down, turning his phone over so that it sat face down on the table. Breathe in. Breathe out. This was good wasn’t it? Justin and Chengcheng would be reunited with their dead friend and Theo would get to know who he was. Theo probably wasn’t even his name, what was Xukun thinking? Giving the ghost a new name. So stupid.

“Okay. His name is Zhu Zhengting. Born 1996. Dropped off social media a while ago and people speculated that he had his contract terminated or something, but I think he….” Linong trailed off, looking worried, though Xukun wasn’t sure whether he was worried about him, Justin, Chengcheng, or the boy whose name wasn’t Theo.

“Zhu Zhengting....” Xukun muttered, the name sounding weird in his mouth, “Oh god.” His eyes widened, “He’s the person Chengcheng was talking about. That’s why the name sounded familiar.”

Linong looked confused, “What are you talking about?”

“I talked to Chengcheng a while ago and he told me about a friend of his who got into an accident,” Xukun explained, words coming out rushed, “He went into a coma and a few weeks back he went into critical condition and filming was delayed and- jesus christ that was the week Theo went missing it was because he was  _ dying." _

“What are we going to tell th-”

“What’s wrong?”

They both jumped at the sound of Ziyi’s voice, Xukun immediately snatching his phone off the table and Linong slamming the computer shut so roughly that he was surprised it didn’t break. 

“Umm,” Ziyi frowned in confusion, “Did something happen?”

Xukun’s fingers tightened around his phone, glancing at Linong with a barely concealed panic written all over his face.

A lighthearted smile spread across Linong’s face, “Hey Ziyi, did Zh-  _ Theo  _ dance for you? Or were you the one dancing? You look kind of tired out.”

Ziyi broke into a breathless smile, “You wouldn’t believe how good of a dancer he is! He knows how to do a bunch of flips and he’s unbelievably flexible. I feel like he definitely was a trainee or something in his past life.”

“Of course,” Xukun choked out, eyes straying in Linong’s direction again, “makes sense.”

Linong met his gaze, “Just tell him,” he hissed under his breath.

“Okay. What the hell is going on? You guys are acting suspicious again. Tell me.” Ziyi demanded.

Xukun felt his limbs move by themselves, mechanically unlocking his phone and holding it out towards Ziyi.

“Why are you-” Ziyi looked even more confused, but reached out and took Xukun’s phone anyway, “Did something ha- ohhhhhhhh……..” Ziyi’s eyes widened, “Is this…...?”

Xukun just nodded. 

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

“Xiaogui! Get your butt out here we’re leaving!”

Xiaogui appeared from the hallway, Theo trailing behind him, “What? I thought we were having dinner here. I was just showing Theo pictures of the other-”

“Now.” Ziyi snapped, voice uncharacteristically harsh, “Come on.”

Xiaogui’s smile dropped, brow furrowing in concern, “Oh. Okay.” he gave Theo a small smile, “I’ll come by tomorrow. See you- hey! Stop dragging me! Jesus I’m coming okay? Don’t-” Xiaogui’s grumbling faded into the distance as Ziyi dragged him out of the house.

Once they were gone Theo turned to Xukun, a worried look on his face, “What happened? If it’s an emergency you should go with them, I’ll be fine by myself.”

“Look at this photo.”

Theo leaned closer to peer at Xukun’s phone, face lighting up with recognition, “Oh! That’s Justin and Chengcheng right? Wanglinkai showed me some pictures earlier-”

“Anything else?” Xukun interrupted, “Nothing looks familiar?”

“Huh? I don’t….” Theo stared at the photo in confusion, “I don’t think Wanglinkai told me who the third one was, is he another one of your friends? He looks pretty.”

“What about the background?” Xukun prompted, “The room they’re in? Does it look familiar at all? Do you know where they are?”

“What? How would I- can you tell me what’s going on? What’s with all these questions?”

“That’s you Theo. I mean- your name isn’t- my point is, this is you. Your name is Zhu Zhengting, you’re a trainee at Yuehua, and you aren’t dead. You’re currently in a coma due to a bad traffic accident and your body is in a hospital about 20 minutes from here.”

Zhengting stared at him blankly, “I’m…….alive? Am I...how bad was the accident?”

“Your body is fully healed,” Xukun recalled, relief overriding his residual panic, “Chengcheng said your brain was functioning perfectly fine too, the only problem was that you wouldn’t wake up.”

“I want to talk to them. Justin and Chengcheng. I need to let them know I’m okay. I don’t even…..I don’t even  _ remember _ them,” Zhengting told Xukun, his expression stricken, “but, somehow, I feel this compulsion to make sure they’re okay. But…...what would I even say to them? I want- no. I  _ need  _ to help them. But is talking the way to do that? Or-”

“I’ll call them.” Xukun interrupted softly, “If I know them at all I know that just hearing your voice would help them. Knowing you exist, even if you don’t remember them, would make them feel better.”

“What is it doesn’t?” Zhengting asked, eyes filled with a sort of pain and desperation, “They…...they might be happier with the memory of me. Of a person they cared about. What right do I have to come in and mess with that person’s memory? To wear his face and estrange him from them, to look at them without recognition or familiarity?”

“Don’t be like that. Please. Just…...even if you don’t remember them, I know they’ll be glad to see you. They’ll do whatever they can to help you. You guys can build new memories.” Xukun felt a pang of sadness when Zhengting’s desolate expression didn’t shift.

“At least,” he continued softly, “As people who know you, they can take better care of you than me.”

Zhengting laughed humorlessly, “ _ I’m _ supposed to be the one taking care of  _ them _ . I’m the oldest. The last thing I want to do is be a burden.”

“Why would you think you're the older one?”

“Huh?”

“Even if Xiaogui happened to tell you their ages, you have no idea how old  _ you _ are. Why would you assume you were the older one?”

Zhengting frowned, “I just….It’s a feeling I have.”

“When is Justin’s birthday?”

“How would I know that?” Zhengting sighed, exasperated, “I don’t even know when my own birthday is!”

“It’s June 16th.”

“That’s Chengcheng’s birthday not Justin’s.” Zhengting corrected automatically, frowning when he realized what he said.

“See?” Xukun tried for a smile, “You know but you don’t remember. The same way you know how to sing and dance even though you don’t remember being an idol. It’ll come back. Even if you don’t remember everything you’re still far from being a stranger to them. Did you want me to call them?”

Zhengting smiled softly, “Okay.”

~

“Hello?”

“Hi Justin. Is Chengcheng with you?” As soon as the words were out Zhengting flinched away from the phone, picking nervously at the armrest of the couch.

There was a moment of silence before a loud crashing sound broadcasted from the phone, followed by Justin’s voice screaming at Chengcheng and Chengcheng’s voice screaming indistinctly back at him.

“Are you okay? What was that sound? If that was the lamp on your nightstand- Huangminghao I swear to god I’ll-” Zhengting broke off, eyes going wide with surprise. He glanced at Xukun, “That was...was that his full name? And does he have a lamp on his nightstand?”

“That was Justin’s full name,” Xukun confirmed, “and as for the lamp I have no idea.”

“Zhengting gege~” Two voices chorused from the other end, “I can’t believe- did you want us to come over? I know visiting hours are almost over but-”

“Justin!” Zhengting interrupted, “Did you even look at the caller ID before you picked up?”

“No, why would I- Huh? You’re calling from……...…..how?”

“Remember the ghost Caixukun told you guys about?” Zhengting began nervously, “Yeah. Uh, that’s actually me. I don’t remember anything. I...I’m sorry if you thought I woke up from the coma. I didn’t mean to give you false hope.”

“You go! No- why not? He called me, which means I get to stay on the phon- hey! don’t- that’s not fair! Give me th- but you’re closer!” the sounds of bickering floated out of Xukun’s phone, bringing a smile to Zhengting’s face.

“Fanchengcheng, be nice to your younger brother. Whatever it is that you’re arguing about.”

“See? Gege’s on my side,” Justin’s voice said smugly, “You drive, I stay on the phone.”

“How much do you remember?” Justin asked, voice almost trembling with excitement, “Do you remember the haunted house where I accidentally punched the clown? That one ugly shirt Chengcheng bought at Christmas? That I’m your favorite child?”

Zhengting laughed, “I don’t choose favorites,” he chided gently, “I love you all equally. On another note, I hid that shirt where he’ll never find it, and If I don’t get my memory back I probably won’t be able to find it either.”

“You…….didn’t completely lose your memory right? You remember us right? Just a little bit?”

“I don’t know.” Zhengting admitted, “There are things that seem…….right. Words that come to my mouth, random things that appear in my head, but if you were to ask me if I know how old you are I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ll be there in a few minutes, and we’ll talk to you, tell you stories. And then you’ll remember right?” Justin asked hopefully, “The way you remembered that I had an ugly yellow lamp on my nightstand?”

Zhengting smiled fondly, sadness still lingering in his eyes, “You’re glad that lamp is broken.”

Justin gave a subdued laugh, “Yeah.”

Zhengting bit his thumb, a look of frustrated concentration on his face, “You tried to break it before...…...and I….I….....……….why can’t I remember?”

“You happened to be in the room,” he reminded helpfully, “you caught it before it fell, and told me that if the lamp ever broke I would be grounded for a month.”

“Thanks for reminding me, you’re grounded for a month.”

“Hey!”

They dissolved into a more lighthearted laughter, nervousness reentering Zhengting’s expression when Justin mentioned that they were almost at Xukun’s house.

“What do I do?” Zhengting asked once they hung up, “I’m not ready to meet them! I don’t have a body, not really, and my memories are still muddled. What do I do if they bring up the part of me still passed out in a hospital?”

“Deep breaths,” Xukun reminded, glancing at the door when he heard a car pull up outside, “I’ll be here. Don’t worry.”

He walked up to the door, opening it to see Justin and Chencheng getting out of their car, “Hey! Glad to see you made it. Come in.”

They bounced past Xukun, eyes lighting up with excitement when they saw Zhengting loitering by the couch.

Zhengting flinched as they ran up to him, taking a step back, “Oh, I actually, uh, I’m not that comfortable with physical contact.”

Their excitement fell away, a hurt expression coming over their faces, “But you love hugs. And cuddling.”

“Sitting in Wenjun’s lap.”

“Pincing my cheeks.”

“Linking arms when walking.”

“Stop worrying,” Zhengting soothed, instinctively reaching out before catching himself and withdrawing his hand, “My body’s just a little weird right now, there’s no need to frown.”

Zhengting sighed when the gloomy expression didn’t leave their faces, “Here,” he reached out hesitantly and brushed his fingers against Chengcheng’s cheek, “feel that? It’s cold right? Not the best thing to be cuddling right now.”

Chengcheng’s face brightened, grabbing Zhengting’s hand and pressing it against Justin’s face, making him squeal. “Hey! No fair!”

Xukun couldn’t help but smile as he watched them bicker lightheartedly, so instinctively comfortable around each other despite the fact that one of them was now amnesic and lacking a normal body.

Zhengting turned to face him, a smile on his face and the two boys glued to either side of him, “Help me?”

Xukun laughed, walking past them to take a seat on the couch, “Nope. They’re your problem now.”

They got themselves situated on the couch, Justin and Chengcheng seemingly unbothered by the cold as they clung to Zhengting. Chengcheng nestled against his side and Justin half sitting in his lap.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Chengcheng asked, “About the fact that your body is in the hospital but your consciousness is here?”

“If we bring him to the hospital he can just re-enter his body right?” Justin suggested hopefully.

“Now that I think about it you’ve never gone outside right?” Xukun mentioned, “Can you even leave this house?”

Zhengting shook his head, “I can’t go outside. It’s just…...too much. I feel overwhelmed, like my consciousness is being spread too thin.”

Justin gripped Zhengting’s arm tighter, “Then we aren’t doing that. How about if we bring his body here?”

Xukun raised an eyebrow, “And how are we going to do that? I highly doubt the hospital is going to let us abscond with a comatose body.”

“Who says we’re asking permission?”

“Fan Chengcheng!” Zhengting scolded, You’re not kidnapping a body from the hospital! Just have someone check me out of the hospital, you know, the legal way.”

“They probably won’t let us,” Justin whined, “The front desk lady already recognizes us.”

“I have an idea,” Xukun piped up, “I promise we’ll have him back in his own body by tonight.”

~

“This is a horrible idea.”

“Hm? How so?”

Zhengting looked at Xukun warily, “I just have a bad feeling. What if it doesn’t work?”

“Then we return your body back to the hospital,” Xukun replied easily, “and you can stay here until we come up with another idea.”

Zhengting bit his lip, “And what if it works? What if I go back to my body and……...and I forget everything that happened when I was a ghost? If I forget Wangziyi, Wanglinkai, Chenlinong, if I forget you?”

“Zhu Zhengting.”

Zhengting flinched, “That’s the first time you’ve called me that.” he whispered, body frozen as Xukun brushed the hair out of his face, caressing his cheek gently.

“It doesn’t matter what happens,” Xukun told him, fingers tracing delicately along Zhengting’s jaw and tilting his chin up slightly, “Because I won’t ever forget you. And no matter what happens, I’ll be there, and I’ll recount every one of our conversations word for word until you remember me again.”

Zhengting parted his lips in a gasp, and Xukun’s gaze dropped to his mouth. 

It would be so easy to kiss him right now. Xukun’s fingers were still lingering against Zhengting’s cold skin, tilting his head up to look Xukun straight in the eyes. All he had to do was lean forward. 

No. Not now. 

Xukun moved his hand to the back of Zhengting’s head, tilting his head down so he could press a kiss to Zhengting’s forehead. He pulled him into a tight hug, ignoring the cold seeping through his clothing and making him shiver.

“I’ll be back.”


	6. Chapter 6

Xukun walked into the waiting room of the hospital, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He walked up to the front desk, smiling, “Hello, I was wondering if I could use your bathroom?”

“Down the hall to the left.”

Xukun thanked her and made his way down the hall, ducking into the bathroom and sending Chengcheng a message telling him he was inside. 

Chengcheng and Justin walked into the waiting room, the receptionist sighing when she saw them.

“Boys, you know visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow.”

They both pulled the best kicked puppy expression they could, looking downcast, “But tomorrow’s the anniversary of when we first met, and we want to be there right in the morning. Please? Can we stay the night? Other people do it all the time!”

“ _Family_ does it all the time,” the receptionist corrected, “you two aren’t legally or biologically related to Mr. Zhu.”

“Please?” Justin begged, “You know we’re just like real brothers to him, and when have we ever caused trouble? We always leave when you tell us to even though we never want to, can’t you let us stay just this once?”

“How about you just let us in for a visit?” Chengcheng compromised, “Just 15 minutes to leave a note by his bed so that in case he wakes up he’ll know we were thinking of him?”

“15 minutes huh? Fine.”

She got up, grumbling to herself, and pressed her ID card to the scanner, unlocking the door. “I’ll buzz the room in 15 minutes and you two better get out of here. This is only because you’ve never caused problems before, but if you do this time I’ll have visiting hours cut even shorter for you two.”

“We won’t, I promise!” Justin lied, a grin spreading across his face as soon as she turned the corner back to her desk. 

Chengcheng knocked on the door to the bathroom, “We’ve got the door open, hurry up!”

The three of them slipped through the door, making their way quickly down a long hallway of rooms. It was mostly empty, with a few tired looking people sitting on the benches outside and nurses wheeling carts down the hall.

No one paid them any attention as they walked down the hall, quietly entering Zhengting’s room. Xukun couldn’t help but stare at the body lying motionless on the bed.

It was undoubtedly the same person, but this version of Zhengting lacked the transparency that persisted in the ghost’s form through every version of it’s appearance. He could see every detail, every shadow cast across Zhengting’s slightly gaunt face.

Without hesitation, Chengcheng pulled the plug on the vital monitor, silencing the quiet beeping. Justin undoing the oxygen and heart rate sensors on Zhengting’s arm and finger before carefully removing the IV needle.

“He’s good. Let’s get out of here.”

Justin opened the door, peeking down the hallway, “Just a second, there’s still a staff person in the hallway.”

Chengcheng cast a worried look at Xukun, “Are you sure you can run while carrying him? I know he’s thin but he’s still six feet of human you have to transport out of here.”

“She’s gone!” Justin hissed, “Hurry up! Before anyone else comes out.”

Xukun snapped back into reality, carefully scooping the listless form into his arms. He was startled by the sudden warmth, completely disparate from the vivid cold he had begun to associate with Zhengting’s likeness.

They walked briskly down the hall, the other visitors not even batting an eye as they passed by. They made it out of the hospital ward without discovery, Chengcheng and Justin moving ahead to enter the waiting room and leaving Xukun hidden around the corner, just out of sight.

He cradled Zhengting’s body against his chest, adrenaline keeping the fatigue out of his body. They only had one chance at this, it _had_ to work. Hurry up….

A loud crash sounded, followed by the sound of Justin apologizing profusely. Chengcheng stepped back into Xukun’s line of vision, gesturing urgently for him to get going.

Xukun hurried out of the hall, barely sparing a glance towards the angry receptionist hunched over a mess of spilled coffee and scattered papers as he sprinted across the room and out of the door.

He ducked behind his car, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. Relief flooded over him when Justin and Chengcheng appeared, opening the door and helping get Zhengting’s body into the backseat of the car.

“Go! Drive!”

Once they were a safe distance away from the hospital they burst into hysterical laughter, “I can’t believe we just did that! Now that we have Zhengting’s body and soul we just put him back together right?”

Xukun shrugged, “I don’t know how any of this works, let’s just hope for the best.”

He adjusted his grip so that Zhengting’s body sat in his lap, slumped lifelessly against Xukun’s chest. Xukun found himself comforted by the brush of warmth against his neck everytime Zhengting breathed out, a sign of life from the body quickly losing warmth now that it was out from the hospital’s heated rooms and warm blankets.

“We’re almost there.” Chengcheng glanced over at Xukun, “Did you want to switch out? I can carry him inside if you’re tired.”

“I’m fine,” Xukun assured them as they pulled into his driveway, “The keys are in the cupholder, open the door for me?”

Justin fished the keys out of the cupholder, walking up to unlock the front door as Chengcheng let Xukun out of the car, hovering as he carefully maneuvered Zhengting’s body through the doorway.

Justin poked his head back out of the door, “I can’t find him,” he called, “Can I check in your room?”

Xukun frowned, carrying Zhengting into the empty living room, “That’s weird. He refuses to even go upstairs, I doubt he’d be in my room. I thought he’d be waiting for us? Or maybe he’s asleep?”

He lay Zhengting carefully on the couch, glancing apprehensively around the room. Chengcheng walked back into the room, “He isn’t in the dance room either,” he informed them, “maybe he already returned to his body?”

Justin checked Zhengting’s pulse and breathing before carefully pushing his hair away from his face. He didn’t move or show any signs of life. If anything, Zhengting looked even paler and more sunken than before.

“Maybe it’ll take time?”

“Why don’t you two head home?” Xukun suggested, spotting the worry and panic beginning to emerge on their faces, “I’ll call you if anything happens. You guys still have work tomorrow don’t you? Go home and rest.”

“What if he wakes up?”

“Then I’ll call you.”

“But-”

“It won’t do you any good to worry." Xukun told them, trying to sound both comforting and firm at the same time, "Take care of yourselves, I promise I’ll take care of him, okay? Besides, you wouldn't want to leave him alone when you two go to work tomorrow right?”

Still downcast, Justin and Chengcheng said goodbye, making Xukun promise to send updates while they were at work tomorrow.

Xukun sighed, walking over and kneeling next to Zhengting’s still comatose body.

“Why won’t you wake up? You’re in there right? Wake up? Please?” he pleaded, voice sounding too loud in the silence, “If you don’t wake up by tomorrow I have to bring you to a hospital again, and they won’t let me stay with you like this. They’ll make me leave you in that room alone all night, and I’ll have to come back to our house to try and fail to sleep.”

“If you were awake right now, you’d get on my case for skipping dinner,” Xukun laughed bitterly, “and I’d tell you I wasn’t hungry. Then you’d pout until I gave in, and probably also scold me for stealing a body from a hospital.”

He lifted Zhengting’s body off of the couch, carefully maneuvering up the stairs in the darkness.

“And then it’d be time to sleep,” Xukun continued, “and you’d be stubborn about not wanting to sleep on the couch or my bed. I would remind you that you slept in my room just this morning, you’d get flustered, and I would be reminded of how glad I am that you're no longer transparent, because you’re cute when you blush.”

He laid Zhengting on his bed, smiling wistfully down at him, “In the end I would give in but make you at least bring blankets, or I would use your weakness for physical contact against you and we’d sleep in my bed.”

Xukun adjusted the pillow under Zhengting’s head before laying down next to him, turning his head to peer at Zhengting’s sleeping face through the darkness.

“You would be absolutely mortified when you woke up, and you’d do that thing where you ramble to cover your embarrassment. I’d call your rambling cute, and you’d get flustered all over again.”

Xukun sighed, reaching out to brush the hair away from Zhengting’s face, “It would be Zhangjing and Yanjun’s turn to meet you. You and Zhangjing would probably get along immediately, and because I’m the possessive type I’d tell Yanjun he wasn’t allowed to flirt with you, even though his flirting is completely harmless since he’s taken.”

Feeling unsettled in the silence that followed, Xukun moved closer and rested his head on Zhengting’s chest, going still so that he could hear Zhengting’s heart beating through the thin material of the hospital gown.

There was something comforting about the sound, the feeling of Zhengting’s chest rising and falling as he breathed. The only proof of life from the body otherwise dead to the world. Skin too cold and face too expressionless.

Xukun wrapped an arm protectively around Zhengting’s waist and hugged him close, feeling the tension leave his body. He closed his eyes, and let the sound of Zhengting’s steadily beating heart lull him to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

“Good morning.”

Xukun almost expected Zhengting to open his eyes then, but his face remained serene and expressionless, oblivious to the world around him. 

He shook him gently, “Wake up? Or at least open your eyes? I’d hate to have to give your little brothers bad news first thing in the morning.”

When there was no response he sighed and pushed himself out of bed. He really wasn’t looking forward to having to tell Justin and Chengcheng that Zhengting hadn’t woken up, but he knew that they would only be more worried if he didn’t update them at all.

“You have until I’m done getting ready to wake up,” Xukun told the motionless body, “then I’ll have to tell them you didn’t wake up, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”

Still no response. Xukun tucked the blankets back around Zhengting’s body and trudged to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He barely recognized himself in the mirror. He looked so tired, eyes dead and shadows hanging stubbornly under them.

He lingered in the bathroom after brushing his teeth, not wanting to go out and start his day. He knew he couldn’t keep Zhengting here, not when he couldn’t give him food or water. But humans could survive without water for a few days, so it wouldn’t hurt to keep him for just a few more hours right?

Just a few more hours, he told himself, he would get Zhengting to wake up, he just needed time. 

“I’m back,” Xukun greeted, “Come on sweetheart, time to get up.”

He hoisted Zhengting’s body into a sitting position, sliding in behind him so that Zhengting’s head fell comfortably against his chest. He placed his hand on top of Zhengting’s and twined their fingers together.

“What did you want to do today? I could complain about work like I usually do, or I could call my friends and have them talk to you. I can tell they’ve all really taken a liking to you.”

Xukun smiled to himself, “I still remember how absolutely dejected Ziyi looked when you rejected his handshake, he puts up a very polite front but I could tell he was dying to see how your skin would feel.”

“Ever since I found out who you were I’ve been dying to look for videos of you singing and dancing, but I was hoping you’d perform for me in person instead. I will, however, admit that I’ve thoroughly stalked you on social media and had some rather embarrassing reactions to some of your photos.” 

Xukun laughed, “For someone with such a cute face and personality you really can look downright indecent sometimes.” he tapped Zhengting lightly on the abdomen, “especially when you forget that shirts have a purpose.”

“Hmm, Ziyi told me you had a tattoo,” Xukun recalled, “he didn’t tell me where, but I’ve never seen his ears so red. I never would’ve pegged you as the type to get a tattoo at all, much less somewhere even remotely indecent. I feel like it’d suit you though, I’d love to see it someday.”

Xukun almost sighed in frustration when his phone began ringing. Keeping one arm wrapped around Zhengting’s waist, he reached over and plucked his phone off the nightstand, accepting the call without even glancing at the screen.

“Hello?”

“Don’t you dare ‘hello’ me Mr. let’s steal a goddamn body from the hospital and not tell my best friends. I had to hear it from Justin! After he already told Linong who probably told Zhangjing who probably told Yanjun which means I’m the last to know!”

“Oh. Did you tell Ziyi?”

“That’s all you have to say?” Xiaogui complained, “Yes I told Ziyi, how else was I going to get him to drive me to your house?”

Xukun jolted upright, “You guys are coming over?”

“Pulling up into your driveway right now,” Xiaogui told him, sounding smug.

“Ugh, I’m really regretting giving you guys my housekeys now. I’m hanging up now, let yourselves in.”

Xukun tossed his phone not so gently back onto the nightstand, “Looks like we actually have to get out of bed, we’ve got guests.”

He picked Zhengting up, spotting Xiaogui and Ziyi coming in as he was making his way carefully down the stairs.

Ziyi gave him a concerned look, “Do you want me to help? I can carry him if you want.”

Xukun rolled his eyes, “I’m not going to drop him.”

“That’s his real body right?” Xiaogui checked, “Why does he still look a little bit dead? Hey, I didn’t mean it like that,” he amended when both Xukun and Ziyi gave him offended looks, “He just looks really pale. Like, corpse pale, not ‘too much makeup’ pale.”

Xukun smirked, “Great. I’ll be sure to let him know you said that once he wakes up.”

"Hey!"

He placed Zhengting’s body on the couch, the amusement dropping off his face, “If he doesn’t wake up soon I’ll have to take him to the hospital again. And then I’ll lose him completely. I won’t even have the ghost version of him to talk to.”

“Maybe this is like a sleeping beauty type situation,” Xiaogui joked, trying to lighten the mood, “have you tried giving him a kiss? Maybe that’ll wake him up.”

“Maybe try using smelling salts?” Ziyi suggested.

“Where on earth am I supposed to get smelling salts?”

Ziyi shrugged, “I dunno, Amazon?”

Xukun flopped down on the couch next to Zhengting, instinctively throwing an arm around his shoulders, “Let’s talk about something less depressing, like Justin and Chengcheng having to work during our time off.”

Xiaogui laughed, “Dude their company works them to death, can’t believe Theo here’s going to have to go back to them after this."

Xukun smiled dryly, “Imagine waking up from a coma and being whisked straight onto set for some dumb advertising photoshoot. Maybe I should hide him for a couple of days before letting him go back to work.”

“He  _ will _ remember us after this right?” Ziyi clarified, “Even though his human self never actually met us?”

“He’ll remember us,” Xukun assured him with a confidence he didn’t feel, “he remembered things about his human self when he was a ghost, so why shouldn’t it work the other way around?”

To his gratitude, Xiaogui steered the conversation towards other subjects. Xukun joined in halfheartedly in their dread about the inevitable influx of events that would come after they released their album. Eventually he gave up following their conversation and closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion come over him.

~

“What the-” Xukun blinked blearily, eventually registering that he was in his living and had fallen asleep on his couch.

He rolled off of the body underneath him, grumbling out an apology, “Sorry about that, how are you feeling love? Ready to wake up?”

His heart jumped out of his chest when the body next to him let out an incoherent grumble and burrowed his head against Xukun’s chest.

“Zhengting?” Xukun’s hands hovered over Zhengting’s still sleeping form, unsure of what he should do. Part of him wanted to let him continue sleeping, but another, more selfish, part of him  _ needed _ to know whether he was fine. Whether he remembered. Whether Xukun was still his friend or just another stranger again.

He stroked Zhengting’s hair softly, “Open your eyes sweetheart,” he coaxed, “Just for a second and I promise you can go back to sleep, I know you’re tired.”

His breath caught in his throat when Zhengting lifted his head to blink sleepily up at him. He looked so  _ alive _ , so warm, and soft, and so human. Living and breathing.

Zhengting darted backwards, separating himself from Xukun’s grip, “Y-You’re Caixukun! What are you-” his eyes widened when he looked around the house, “I mean, what am  _ I  _ doing here? Is this your house? What am I doing in your house?”

Xukun squeezed Zhengting’s hand gently, “Hey, hey, calm down okay? What do you remember?”

Zhengting stared down at their conjoined hands, startled by the familiarity of the action, “I know you?” Zhengting wondered out loud, seeming confused by his own words even as he spoke them.

Xukun forced a smile, trying to keep the desperation off his face, “Yes. Yes, good place to start. You know me. Do you remember how?”

“Justin and Chengcheng are fans of your music,” he answered automatically, frowning once the words were out, “Why doesn’t that seem right? It’s true, they talk about you and that’s how I…..”

Zhengting winced, closing his eyes in a grimace.

“Are you okay?” Xukun asked, worried, “Does something hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?” he pressed a hand to Zhengting’s forehead to check his temperature before grabbing his wrist and taking his pulse.

Zhengting looked completely lost, like the familiarity confused him. “It’s just a headache,” Zhengting assured him, words sounding hesitant, “Why are you so worried?”

As soon as the words were out Zhengting cringed, “I feel like I just asked something incredibly stupid, like it should be obvious that you care about me. Is that weird? I feel like that’s weird.”

“No,” Xukun breathed, “No it’s not. I care about you. A lot. Can you remember why?”

A look of frustration passed over Zhengting’s face, “I don’t know. It just makes sense. Am I…...amnesic? Did I lose my memory? Oh god, are we dating? Is that why I’m in your house and I was sleeping on top of you-”

Xukun laughed, cutting off Zhengting’s rambling, “Not yet we aren’t, but I can see how you came to that conclusion. I wouldn’t say you’re amnesic, but you are missing quite a large gap in your memory. You spent the last few months or so in a coma.”

“Shouldn’t I be in a hospital then- oh my god you guys took my body from the hospital didn’t you? Please tell me you at least did it legally.”

Xukun suppressed a smile at Zhengting’s scandalized expression, “Afraid I can’t tell you that.”

Zhengting groaned, smacking Xukun on the shoulder, “I thought I told you to do it legally! What if I didn’t wake up? You’d probably be arrested! At least now I can just lie and say I woke up and walked out.”

“Is making you angry helping jog your memory?” Xukun asked, amused, “Should I provoke you?”

He watched Zhengting try and fail to keep a straight face, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement, “I spent a lot of my time here reprimanding you didn’t I? I bet it was for your sleeping habits.”

Xukun smiled fondly, “You really are the same person aren’t you? I was scared you’d be different, but here you are, every bit as endearing and irresistible as before.”

Zhengting’s eyes widened in surprise, a dusty pink emerging on his cheeks.

Xukun leaned forward, not breaking eye contact, “Do you remember the last time we saw each other?” he asked, eyes seeming to darken.

Zhengting shook his head, meeting Xukun’s gaze nervously.

“Then I’ll pick up where we left off,” he murmured, “I’ll  _ make _ you remember.”

Xukun moved even closer, reaching out a hand to caress Zhengting’s cheek, “You can reprimand me for this later if you want.”

Once the words were out of his mouth he closed the distance and pressed their lips together, one hand moving to the small of his back and the other tangling itself in Zhengting’s hair. 

Xukun pulled back reluctantly after a few seconds, not wanting to push his luck. Zhengting’s face was frozen in shock, mouth open like he was going to speak. His eyes flashed with recognition and he gasped, snapping his mouth shut and swallowing.

Xukun felt hope rekindle when Zhengting’s entire face went red, a familiar look of mortified embarrassment on his face.

“Do you remember me? Please say something.”

He continued to stare at Xukun for a moment before breaking into a hesitant smile, “My english name isn’t Theo.”

Without thinking Xukun kissed him again, more aggressively this time, pushing him back until they were laying horizontally on the couch. Still weak from relief, Xukun barely registered Zhengting’s gasp as his back hit the cushions.

“Caixu- wait-” Zhengting pressed a hand against Xukun’s chest, pushing him away, “Some people need to breathe-”

Xukun smirked down at Zhengting, “Breathing’s overrated.” 

He leaned down to kiss him again, grabbing the hand Zhengting still held against his chest and pushing it downwards so that he could feel Xukun’s abs through the fabric of his shirt.

“Not fair-” Zhengting gasped between kisses, “-for you to look like that.”

Xukun rolled his eyes, “Like you don’t know how hot you look without your shirt on, since you’re always lifting up your shirt in front of live audiences.”

“What, you jealous?”

“Of the audience? Very.”

Before Xukun could kiss him again, Zhengting went rigid, a panicked expression on his face, “Oh my god, we haven’t told Justin and Chengcheng I woke up yet.”

He shoved at Xukun, “Off, off. I need to borrow your phone. It’s upstairs?”

Xukun laughed, sitting up to let Zhengting get up off the couch, “Yup, you know the password. Tell the others too. Oh yeah, and you should probably change out of that,” he gestured to the hospital gown Zhengting still had on, “borrow whatever you want, the package of unused toothbrushes is in the cabinet under the sink.”

Zhengting gave him a grateful smile and disappeared up the stairs. Xukun realized with amusement how domestic their life seemed. Sharing a room, phone, clothing. He would never let any of his other friends text someone from his phone.

He broke out of his ruminating, climbing the stairs in time to see Zhengting peek out of his bedroom, stress written all over his features.

“All your clothing is so expensive! I can’t wear any of that! Don’t you have any normal clothing?”

Xukun laughed, wrapping an arm around Zhengting’s waist and pulling him into the room, “Stop worrying.” he chided, pulling a random pair of shirt and pants out of the closet, “Here, put these on.”

He tossed the articles of clothing at Zhengting, picking up his phone to see messages from Ziyi and Zhangjing.

“Ziyi and Xiaogui are coming over again,” he called, hoping Zhengting could hear him through the bathroom door, “Also we’re having dinner with Zhangjing because he’s salty about not meeting you yet.”

Zhengting opened the door, looking self conscious as he walked back into the room. Xukun rolled his eyes, “None of that. You look beautiful. Come here.”

Xukun pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his temple, “Just checking, you remember Ziyi and Xiaogui right?”

“I think so? Wangziyi is the polite, image conscious one and Wanglinkai is the outspoken one that’s mad I won’t call him Xiaogui. Is that right?”

“Linong?”

“Cute smile, cute personality, very kind.”

“Zhangjing?”

“The oldest one, smiles a lot, playful.”

“Yanjun?”

“Flirty personality, but he gets away with it because he’s handsome and charismatic.”

Xukun wrinkled his nose, “Where did you get that description?”

“Wanglinkai.”

“Of course.” Xukun rolled his eyes, “I’ll tell you more about them before we meet up. What did you want to do until then?”

Zhengting’s eyes lit up, “Food? I don’t think I’ve had solid food in months.”

Xukun smiled fondly at Zhengting’s excited expression, “Whatever you want. I’ll tell Ziyi and Xiaogui to pick up food on their way over.”

~

“Zhengting ge! You’re awake! You’re alive! Here, I brought your phone. I already added all our new friends’ contacts on it.”

“All of your stuff is still at our place so you can come home with us tonight!”

Zhengting smiled, extracting himself from the group hug, “I really missed you guys, but as for where I’m living you might want to discuss it with Caixukun.”

“Oh hi,” They greeted him, looking like they only just remembered he was there, even though they had both arrived for the dinner party at the same time.

“I’d be fine if Zhengting stayed with me,” Xukun offered, “I know your place only has two beds.”

Justin shrugged dismissively, “One bed too many. We usually share beds anyway so it doesn’t really matter.”

A look came over Zhengting’s face like he just remembered something. He pulled Justin and Chengcheng in and whispered something, too quiet for Xukun to hear.

“HE WHAT?”

Both Justin and Chengcheng turned to look at Xukun, disbelief written across their faces.

Zhengting shot Xukun an apologetic look before tugging on Chengcheng’s sleeve to catch his attention, “Do you want me to leave now?”

“Zhangjing needs help making dinner. The kitchen is down the hall to the right.”

Zhengting kissed them both on the cheek before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Xukun alone with the two boys and also very confused.

“You kissed him? Wha- why?”

Xukun felt a twinge of amusement, so this was what it was about. 

“Because I like him.” he answered bluntly.

Chengcheng opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, but instead of speaking he turned to Justin, trying and failing to be indiscreet as he hissed something under his breath.

“Do we really have to do this? We already know him, I thought the ‘if you hurt him I’ll hurt you’ speech was only for strangers?”

“Of course we have to!” Justin insisted, “We know him as a friend, but we’ve never seen him in a relationship.”

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Xukun said, interrupting their conversation, “I cared about him long before I fell for him, and that’s not going to change whether he’s my friend or boyfriend.”

“See? He’s fine.”

“I never said he wasn’t! I just thought it’d be good to set a precedent, you know, that ‘one step out of line and I’ll put salt in your coffee’ kind of vibe.”

Xukun watched in amusement as they continued their conversation as if he hadn’t spoken, whisper-shouting as to completely negate the whole point of whispering.

Zhengting came back around the corner, giving Justin and Chengcheng a fond look, “If you guys are done with your shovel talk, Zhangjing says the food is ready.”

He let Justin and Chengcheng scamper excitedly past him, lingering behind to talk to Xukun.

“What did they say?”

“Nothing much,” Xukun shrugged, “if you hurt him I’ll hurt you, don’t fuck up or I’ll salt your coffee. That kind of thing. It was kind of cute, seeing them try to act all serious.”

Zhengting bit back a laugh, “I wish I got to see that. Last time I had a boyfriend they were too scared to confront him so they just subtly stalked him until they could properly gauge his moral character.”

“Is that what I am? Your boyfriend?”

“No! I’m not- I wasn’t trying to assume anything-”

“Calm down,” Xukun soothed, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of the living room, “Let’s go say hi to our friends, I need to introduce them to my new boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is always the hardest to write. Hope it wasn't too disappointing.
> 
> Writing playlist:
> 
> Ghosting–Mother Mother  
> Other Side of Paradise–Glass Animals  
> I Will Always Think of You–Bojack Horseman  
> 都要好好的(Everything Must be Fine)–THEO  
> Faded–Alan Walker


End file.
